Lost and Found
by razgriz108
Summary: Season 6, Ep1: Set 3 months after 'Things Change,' BB's still getting over Terra. Raven tries to help him out, but only makes it worse. Meanwhile, Slade is back and seems to have developed an interest in a certain changeling. BBxRae, light RobxStar
1. Dramatis Personae

_**TEEN TITANS**_

_Lost and Found_

_**Dramatis Personae**_

**The Titans**

Garfield Logan, _Beast Boy_, human male, from San Francisco

Koriand'r, _Starfire_, Tamaranian female, from Tamaran

Rachel Roth, _Raven_, Azarathian female, from Azarath

Richard Grayson, _Robin_, human male, from Gotham City

Victor Stone, _Cyborg_, human male, from Jump City

**Titan Allies**

Knowledge, female emotion, from Nevermore

**Villains**

Cinderblock, male stone golem, origin unknown

Slade, human male, origin unknown

_Teen Titans_ belongs to DC Comics, Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, Glen Murakami, Marv Wolfman, and George Perez


	2. Part 1

BZZZT!BZZZT!BZZZT! Raven opened her eyes. She looked around and found herself in the darkness of her room. BZZZT!BZZZT!BZZ- Raven mentally switched off the alarm. She yawned and looked at the time. _5:30 AM_, she thought, _why am I getting up at five-thirty?_

She started to go back to sleep, when she remembered why she had set her alarm. Ever since the Titans had returned home from their mission/vacation in Tokyo, Raven had competition for the solitude of the roof in the morning. In the past, Raven had always gone to the roof to meditate at the crack of dawn. But now, Robin and Starfire liked the peace and quiet of Raven's favorite meditation spot, though they weren't there to meditate.

Raven reluctantly got up and took a shower. Then, she put on her usual black leotard and blue cloak, and headed for the kitchen. _I may be a morning person_, she thought, but this is _ridiculous! _She brewed herself a cup of herbal tea, though, as tired as she was, she contemplated drinking some of Robin's Red Bulls to keep her awake. _Better not_, she decided. _With my powers, who knows what would happen if I threw large amounts of caffeine in the mix._

She headed to the roof, then she poked her head out the door. _No Robin nor Starfire,_ she thought. _At least I won't have an audience._ She looked at the horizon and saw the first rays of twilight peeking out over the cityscape. _Get with the program! _she told herself. _Otherwise you'll end up trying to meditate with the Robin and Starfire make-out show being performed live behind you!_

Raven shuddered. She was happy for them, and glad that they had finally stopped beating around the bush, but seeing the two of them all lovey-dovey wasn't something she wanted to see. She sat cross-legged on the rooftop, and then levitated. She closed her eyes, and began chanting, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

She drifted off into her meditation and felt the soothing calmness fill her body. Then, she heard something. Splash!Splash!Splash! She ignored it until she heard it again. Splash!Splash!Splash!

Raven returned to the real world and looked over the side of the roof. _What is that splashing sound?_ she wondered. She flew down and landed so softly that the mysterious being didn't notice. _What's he doing?_ she asked herself, straining to see in the half-light of twilight.

The figure pulled its arm back, and tossed what appeared to be a small object out into the bay. Splash!Splash!Splash! The figure was skipping rocks. _Beast Boy?_ the half-demon wondered. She floated closer to find out, when the figure stopped, sniffed the air, and looked directly at her. "Raven?" he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Raven walked over to him and sat down next to him. "I could ask you the same thing, Beast Boy." The green hero looked down at his feet and sighed. Raven could tell something was wrong. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked. The changeling shook his head. "Nah, you?"

Raven motioned to the roof. "I wanted to get my meditation done before Romeo and Juliet decided to slobber all over each other." A small grin formed on the changeling's face. Raven saw the chink in his armor and exploited it. "You okay?" she asked. The shape shifter just launched another rock.

Raven sighed. _Why am I even wasting my time?_ she asked herself. _If he doesn't want to talk, fine!_ Then, she softened. _Give the kid a break, Rae,_ she thought. So, Raven levitated a nearby rock and skipped it.

Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash! "Dude," said Beast Boy, "five skips? You're good." Raven blushed a little, though she liked the compliment. "I used to do this with her, ya know." He said. _Finally,_ Raven cheered, _I'm getting somewhere!_

"With who?" she asked, certain she knew which 'her' he was referring to. BB skipped another rock. "Terra," he said. Raven slid a little closer to the green youth. "You miss her, don't you?" she asked, skipping another rock herself. The changeling nodded. "I know she's happy now, not remembering what she did, but I _do_ remember," he said, picking up another rock.

"Listen, Beast Boy," the empath said. "I know it hurts, but you have to let her go. It's been three months since you found her, and-" Beast Boy cut her off. "If you finish that piece of crap trite nonsense, I'll be obliged to drive your head into the ground," he threatened. Raven fought to keep her rage under control. "I was only trying to help!" she said with an edge in her voice.

"How could _you_ ever help me, huh?" the changeling yelled. "You suppress your emotions so much that I think you forgot what having them feels like!"

"I have to suppress my emotions!" Raven fired back. "In case you haven't noticed, my emotions are DANGEROUS!"

"That doesn't mean you have to be a stone cold jerk all the time!" Raven got up and draped her hood over her head. "There you go again!" said the changeling. "You're always running away from your feelings instead of letting them out!"

Raven spun around and faced him. Her four eyes were glowing red. Then, Beast Boy felt cold as dark energy flowed around him. The next thing he knew, he was flung high into the air, and then slammed back into the water. When he surfaced for air, Raven hissed, "That better?"

Beast Boy met her glare, then said, "You'll never understand."

"Why not?" Raven demanded, still burning with rage. The changeling got out of the water and walked past her. "Because you've never lost somebody you care about." With that, he morphed into a hawk, and flew off. The rage boiling inside the empath overflowed. She let out a banshee's shriek, and all of the Tower's windows turned black, then shattered. Then, her rage gone, Raven fell to her knees and began to cry.

**

Robin awoke at the crack of dawn. Excited, he quickly put on his mask and a T-shirt and dashed off towards Starfire's room. _Not like she's going to care what I'm wearing, _he told himself. He raised his hand was about to knock on the door, when an orange and pink blur slammed into him, throwing him against the wall.

"ROBIN!" the Tamaranian squealed. She grabbed the boy wonder and flew up to the roof. "Nice to see you too Star," Robin croaked. Starfire released him, and he fell to the floor, gasping for breath. When he recovered, the two teens sat on the edge to watch the sunrise.

_Hmmn,_ Robin thought, _Where's Raven? She normally comes up here to meditate._ Star noticed as well, and asked, "Robin, where is friend Raven?" Robin scratched his head. "I don't know Star. Maybe she slept in?" Robin grew concerned, since Raven rarely altered her routine.

Starfire looked at Robin. She ran her fingers through his silky black hair. "You know, Robin," she said as suggestively as she could. "Since Raven is not here, we have the roof all to ourselves." Robin, not taking the hint, said, "Yeah, so?" Star was amazed at how dense her boyfriend could be. "So," she said, tracing circles on the back of his neck, "we can do whatever we want."

Robin got the hint that time. "Oh! Uh, he-he," he said. "What do you want to do?" Star leaned in and pulled Robin's head towards hers. "What do you think?" she said. Then her lips met his and the two lovers were lost in the kiss.

Suddenly, they heard a loud shriek from the other side of the Tower, followed by the sound of breaking glass. "Robin," Starfire gasped, "what was that?" Robin's face hardened. "Raven," he told her. He got up and ran to the other side of the roof and looked over the side. He saw a crying Raven on her hands and knees, surrounded by thousands of shards of broken glass. "Why does friend Raven have the blues?" Star asked him. "I don't know," he answered. "But I intend to find out."

**

Cyborg's internal chronometer activated his primary subroutines, bringing the half-man, half-machine online. "It's gonna be a great day!" he said. A panel on his wall dinged, and a plate slid out. Cy looked at it and shouted, "Hello Bacon! Hello Eggs!" Another panel dinged, and a toaster slid out. Two disks flew out of the toaster and landed on Cy's plate, which were subsequently drenched in maple syrup. "And hello WAFFLES!!!!"

Cyborg reached for his fork, then shrugged. He opened his mouth and dumped plate's entire contents into his gaping maw. Then he swallowed it with one giant gulp. "Ah," he said. "Nothing like a good breakfast to start your day! Ooh, I wonder if we have any ham?"

Cyborg raced into the Ops room and scoured the fridge. "Aha!" he exclaimed. He dug out a large, full-sized ham. He grabbed it by the bone, then stuck it in his mouth like a sucker. Then, he pulled out the bone, swallowing the meat whole. BRRAAAWWP!

Before Cy could excuse himself, the window shattered. "Whoa!" he said. He looked at the ham bone in his hand, then asked himself, "Did I do that?" He headed over to the window when one of the computers beeped at him. Cyborg looked at the report, then he sounded the alarm. Robin and Star burst into the Ops center, wearing their nightwear. Cy tried not to crack up, but the serious look on Robin's face just didn't fit. "Cyborg, report!" the Titans' leader barked. Instinct kicked in and Cyborg was all military now. "Trouble."

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	3. Part 2

Raven didn't understand why she was this upset. _It's just Beast Boy_, she thought. _Who cares what he thinks?_ Raven cried again. _Who am I kidding?_ she thought, _I care what he thinks! But I don't know why!_ Another wave of sobs overcame the empath. She was brought out of her crying fit when her brooch started to blink. _Great,_ she thought, _now what?_

She stood up and surveyed the carnage she'd wrought. _Good job Raven!_ she scolded herself. _Now everybody hates you instead of just Beast Boy!_ She noticed that her hood had fallen off during her fit of rage. She pulled it over her head and flew up to Ops.

By the time she got there, Robin and Starfire had already put on their uniforms, and were waiting for everyone to join them. Raven floated through the hole where the window used to be and stood behind the couch, waiting for the mission brief. The empath heard the door whoosh open behind her.

"Sorry I'm late! I was-" Beast Boy stopped short when he saw the window, or lack thereof. "What happened to the window?" he asked. Raven wished she was invisible, and was glad her hood was up. Otherwise everyone would see that she was blushing.

"There's no time for that now," said Robin, wanting to get started. Cyborg extended his arm, and activated the built-in holo-projector. "Listen up," said Robin, "Cinderblock has been sighted in the downtown area. We don't have any accurate locations yet…" The image switched to a map of Downtown Jump City. "But, by cross-referencing eyewitness accounts, Cyborg and I have narrowed Cinderblock's position down to three possible areas." Three red dots appeared on the holo map.

"Starfire and I will search the Municipal Arena, Cyborg will investigate the old Jump City Mall, and Beast Boy and Raven will patrol the quarry. Any questions?" "Um," asked Beast Boy, "maybe I should go with Starfire and you team up with Raven." The empath felt like the changeling had driven a dagger through her heart, but she didn't show it.

"Sorry, BB," said Robin. "But Star and I work best together-" "At crime fighting," shot Raven, "or at making out?" BB and Cy cracked up, while steam poured out of Robin's ears. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!" Robin yelled. "BB, if you have a problem Raven, you're just going to have to deal with it. Any one else?" No one said anything. Cyborg switched off his holo-projector as Robin ordered, "Titans, GO!"

***

_I wonder what's going on between those two?_ Robin thought as he rode to the Arena. "Does something trouble you?" Robin smiled. Even when she was flying high above him, the Tamaranian knew him well. "Yeah," he told her. "I can't figure out what's going on with BB and Raven."

The Tamaranian knew what he was talking about. "I have long since stopped trying to understand friends Beast Boy and Raven," she said. "They seem to hate each other's company, yet they do not want to be separated from each other." Robin chuckled. "Yeah, that is confusing." The Tamaranian agreed. "Are all Earth friends like this?" she asked, genuinely wanting to know. Robin sighed. "No, only those two." But he still couldn't shake the feeling that the damage to the Tower was involved in Raven and BB's fight. He looked at the GPS on the R-Cycle. "We're almost there, Star," he said.

**

Cyborg sped down the streets of Jump City. He loved driving the T-Car. He didn't really care why, it was his baby. In fact, since his return from Tokyo, he only left her to sleep and eat. The biomechanical Titan stroked the dashboard lovingly. "I know baby," he cooed. "I missed you too."

One of the recent additions he gave his baby was a stoplight jammer. When activated, it switched the light to green so the T-Car wouldn't have to stop. Robin balked at first, but he agreed to it provided that Cyborg only used it for emergencies. _I wonder if he considers getting more waffles an emergency? _he thought, _or blowing the doors off of those street racing punks?_ "Oh well," the robot man said. "What Bird-Boy doesn't know can't hurt me."

**

_Great,_ Raven thought. _I get stuck with a mission partner who hates me._ Raven cast a glance at the verdant eagle flying with her, albeit keeping fifty feet away from her. _And I don't blame him_, she thought. _I should've been more understanding with him. After all, he was in love with Terra._

A jolt of envy raced through her. _Why did I feel that?_ she wondered. "I don't love Beast Boy." The eagle banked and landed in the quarry, and Raven followed suit. "I'm sorry I'm unlovable," the changeling shot back. Raven paled even more than she normally was.

_Oh my God!_ _Did I say that out loud? _she asked herself. "Beast Boy, I'm sorry!" she said. "I didn't mean it, Beast Boy!" The changeling just glared at her. Then he transformed into a bloodhound and began searching for Cinderblock. _Way to go, Rae_, she thought.

***

Cyborg got out of the T-Car and headed into the old abandoned mall. He flicked his shoulder light on and activated his thermal imaging vision. He scanned the mall, but didn't pick up any readings, except for a few groups of teenagers. "Where are you?" he asked.

**

Robin dismounted from the R-Cycle and took off his helmet. Starfire landed next to him. "I could not detect the Cinderblock from the air," she reported. Robin took out his flashlight and walked into the Arena. "Then we'll have to search on foot," he said.

**

Beast Boy searched for Cinderblock's distinctive rocky scent. _For a guy with rocks for brains,_ he thought, _the dude picked the right spot to hide. _ The hound was having difficulty distinguishing between all of the earthen scents emitted from the quarry. The one scent that was different was coming from behind him, and he knew that one. It was his favorite, lavender with a hint of cinnamon. He would recognize it anywhere. But right now, that scent wasn't very comforting. _What's her deal?_ he wondered. _What did I do to her that made her hate me so much?_ He tried to forget it, but that scent of hers kept forcing her back into his mind.

Raven was meditating, trying to find the blockhead's essence. It, wasn't easy, being surrounded by rocks similar to Cinderblock. She also had problems because of the other presence she felt. To her, it stood out from all others. It was confident and caring, determined but lighthearted. She felt him poking around the quarry. _FOCUS RAVEN!_ she scolded. _You're never going to find Cinderblock if you keep thinking about that immature green buffoon!_ Raven tried to clear her mind, but her guilt kept eating away at her. Then, she felt something move.

Beast Boy reverted back to his human form and pulled out his communicator. "Robin! Cyborg!" he said. "He's at the quarry!" "We're on it, Beast Boy," Robin's voice said. "ETA, fifteen minutes, maybe ten for Cyborg." Beast Boy groaned, but said, "Copy that. BB out."

He glanced at Raven, who was waiting in a fighting stance. "Looks like we're on our own," he told her. Raven nodded, then extended her hand toward what looked like a steam drill. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The drill glowed with dark energy, and slammed into the walking brick pile.

The changeling morphed into a T-rex, then charged the rock pile at full speed. He lowered his head and rammed into Cinderblock's chest, knocking him back. BB reverted to human and held his head. "Note to self," he said, "never head butt a concrete bad guy. Oh, my head!" Raven flew by. "Did you think it'd feel like a nice, soft pillow? It's a rock, idiot!" BB growled, then transformed into a peregrine and climbed as high as he could.

Then, he inverted and went into a high-speed dive. When he reached the falcon's top speed, around 200mph, he morphed into a brontosaurus and slammed into the living rock, driving it into the ground. He resumed his human form and Raven landed next to him. "That ought to hold him!" he said triumphantly. Raven was about to congratulate the changeling when she felt a bolt of pain consume her. She fell to the ground, and faded into darkness.

Beast Boy heard the shot, then saw his friend fall to the ground. He pulled out his communicator, but it was shot out of his hand. "Dude," he said. "Whoever you are, you picked the wrong day to mess with me." With his animal instincts, the changeling knew that the demon girl lying beside him was still alive. He saw her chest move up and down in a steady rhythm. _Thank God she's okay!_ he thought.

Then, he realized he was surrounded. One of the silhouettes stepped out from the shadows, brandishing a blaster pistol, still smoking from its last shot. "Slade," the emerald-hued Titan growled. Slade's drones converged of the fallen Titan. "Oh, no you don't!" cried the changeling. He morphed into the werewolf, the beast within. He had only been it twice before, both times to protect Raven. He remembered what she told him after the first time he became it.

****

_I was sitting by the water's edge, staring out into the night. Raven sat next to me, trying to comfort me. "But that thing, that Beast came from inside me," I said, "and its still there, I can feel it." "Good," the empath told him. "If it wasn't for that beast, I might not be here right now." Then she said something I'll never forget. "Having that thing inside you doesn't make you an animal, knowing when to let it out is what makes you a man."_

****

_You were right, Raven_, he thought. _This is for you!_ Then, the Beast charged, sinking his claws into the drone nearest to the fallen empath. He ripped it in half, then lunged at the next one. He grabbed it and threw it at a group of drones that were aiming their blasters.

_I've got to get her out of here before she gets shot!_ he thought. He leapt over to her unconscious body, and gingerly bit the hood of her cloak. He lifted her up and carried her to a small hole that had been drilled in the rock. He carefully set her down and shoved a crate in front of her. By then, the drones had caught up with him.

The Beast bit off one of the drones' head off and pulled the arms of another one out of their sockets. Then, he was shot from behind. The stun bolt knocked him down; down, but not out. The Beast had more stamina than humans and could withstand a stun bolt. Unfortunately, there was more than one bolt. The ten remaining drones fired simultaneously while the changeling was still on the ground. He reverted back to his human form, and everything faded to black. The drones picked him up and vanished into the shadows.

***

Robin was the first to the quarry, since Cyborg got caught in traffic. He hopped off the R-Cycle. A second later, the T-Car pulled up and Cyborg got out. "Titans, fan out," Robin ordered. He began poking around the quarry, looking for any sign of Raven or Beast boy. "My scanners aren't picking anything up but us three," Cyborg said. "But the rock could be interfering with my scanners." Robin frowned. That's why he had paired Raven and BB together. They could sense things without interference. "I am also sorry to say that I cannot find Raven nor Beast Boy," said the Tamaranian.

Robin pounded his fist into the crate next to him. "They couldn't have just vanished!" he said. Cyborg placed a hand on the Boy Wonder's shoulder. "The equipment we have can't locate anything," he said. "We should go back to the Tower. I can pick up some specialized gear and then we can keep looking for them." Robin frowned. He hated leaving his teammates behind. "Robin, we'll find them," Cy told him. Robin mounted his motorcycle. "Count on it."

***

Raven awoke to find a blinding light shining in her eyes. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes. After adjusting to the low ambient light, she discovered that she was in some sort of cubbyhole. She wondered what she was doing there, then she remembered. _The mission!_ she thought. _Beast Boy had just kicked Cinderblock's butt, then…_ She couldn't remember anything after that.

She concluded that they must have been ambushed. _Oh no!_ she thought, her stomach filling with dread. _Beast Boy!_ The crate blocking the entrance blew across the quarry and Raven leapt out after it. She scoured the site, tried to find that familiar presence. "Please, BB," she begged, "You have to be okay!"

Then, she saw it. Hidden underneath a drill, Raven pulled out the device. She looked with horror at what she saw. It was Beast Boy's communicator. It had been fried, and it showed blasted scarring on its case. "No," she cried, "it can't be!" She fell to her knees. Grief overwhelmed her. She didn't care about controlling her emotions, she didn't care about anything anymore. _ He's dead!_ she cried. _I never told him how sorry I was!_

She began to sob uncontrollably. Her emotions ran unchecked. Soon, her overwhelming grief and sorrow was replaced by a burning rage. _I'll kill whoever did this to you,_ she promised her dead friend. The rage inside her grew, and this time, she didn't hold it back. She let it pour out of her like a tsunami. She levitated off the ground. Her eyes glowed red, and a sphere of dark energy surrounded her. "BEAST BOY!" she shrieked, releasing the energy around her. It detonated, leveling everything within a mile radius.

Tired and heartbroken, Raven decided it was best to return to the Tower so she could locate Beast Boy's killer. But first, she warped to her room to grieve. She didn't want the other Titans to see how vulnerable she was. She collapsed onto her bed, crying uncontrollably. "Beast Boy," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry!" She held his broken communicator close to her heart, and cried herself to sleep.

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	4. Part 3

Robin was speeding back to Titans' Tower, determined to find his missing teammates. Suddenly, through his rear-view mirror, he saw a large sphere of dark energy form over the cityscape. Then, without warning, it detonated. The R-Cycle's proximity alarm blared. "Titans!" he shouted, "Brace for impact!"

The shockwave hit him. The Boy Wonder struggled with all his might to keep the R-Cycle upright and on the ground, but the force of the blast was too powerful. The R-Cycle's rear wheel was kicked up, launching the bike and its unlucky rider in the air. They collided with a skyscraper and punched through the Plexiglas windows, smashing through cubicles and offices.

When the R-Cycle finally ran out of momentum, Robin got up and looked at the damage. He guessed he flew around twenty feet into the building. He walked to the space where the window used to be, and saw that he was about ten stories off the ground. His communicator buzzed. "Robin, can you hear me?" Robin opened the yellow disk. "I read you Cyborg," he said. "I'm a little dazed, but I'm fine." He looked at the mangled wreck that used to be his motorcycle. "Which is more than I can say for the R-Cycle. What's your status?"

Cyborg's voice came back, "Star's fine, she was flying too high for the shockwave to hit her." Robin breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm fine, but the T-Car's going to need some work," Cyborg finished. "Is it still operational?" Robin asked. There was a slight pause, then Cyborg's voice returned. "The engine's still running, and the transmission works, but that's about it," he stammered. "No weapons, no shields, no GPS, no com systems, no nitro boost-" "I get it," Robin said, cutting the mechanized Titan off. "You're baby's just a car now." He heard a small whimper over his communicator.

"Friends," came the Tamaranian's voice. "Does either of you know what has happened?" Cyborg was still too preoccupied with his poor baby. Robin stared at ground zero, and could have sworn he saw a raven rise out of the rubble and streak towards the Tower. "Raven," he said.

The Titans' leader shook his head, then said, "Titans, were going back to the quarry. That's where this blast originated, so maybe we'll find something we missed before." "Sounds good to me," said Cyborg. "Star," Robin said, "fly ahead to the blast site and do a recon sweep." "I will, Robin," she replied. "Cyborg, head to Jump Tower and pick me up. The R-Cycle's toast. Then we'll meet up with Star and do a thorough search of the area," ordered the Caped Crusader. "You got it Robin," Cyborg said. Robin closed the channel and made his way to the ground floor. _Raven, I hope you're okay._

***

Raven lay sleeping on her bed. In her hand, she clutched the shot up communicator that used to belong to Beast Boy. She held it close to her heart, for she thought that the communicator was all that was left of her fallen comrade. In her dreams, her emotions were running rampant. The amount of broken things in her room attested to that. Raven dreamed about the moments she had shared with the changeling, wishing that for just one more moment, she could see him again.

****

_I found BB sitting by the bay, skipping rocks as usual. He saw me and waved me over to join him. I sat next to him, but I didn't skip any rocks, I wanted to ask him something. "So Raven," he asked me, "what's up?" I looked at him, and asked, "Why do you do it, Beast Boy?" He looked at me, confused. "Do what?" I sighed at his naïveté. "Why do you always try to cheer me up, try to make me laugh?" I clarified. He paused, and skipped another rock. Finally he said, "I guess I just don't want you to feel alone." I was stunned. I wasn't ready for that answer. I thought he would say something like he wanted me to be happy, or that just wanted to see if I was able to laugh at all. But I could never have thought that he was doing it because he actually cared about me!_

_Then I remembered when I had accidentally released Malchior, the dread Dragon. I had loved him, but he used me. After I sealed him away, I was heartbroken. Then, I heard a knock on the door. I wanted to be left alone, but the I heard him. "Raven," he said, "it's me. Look, I'm sorry." He was apologizing to me, but I didn't know why. "For what?" I asked. "You're not the one who-" He cut me off. "No," he told me. "I'm sorry that he broke your heart."_

_A wave of sorrow came over me. I felt I had to tell somebody, and Beast Boy was there, wanting to listen. "I know it was all a lie," I confessed. "But he was the only person who ever made me fell like I wasn't…" I hesitated on the word, "creepy." I could hear BB's attempt to cheer me up, so I told him, "And don't try to tell me I'm not." "Okay, fine," he said. "You're way creepy." I looked down at my floor, hurt by his confirmation. Then, he surprised me. "But that doesn't mean you have to stay locked in your room," he said. Then he said the most comforting words I've ever heard anyone say. "You think you're alone Raven," he said, "but you're not."_

_I looked up. I wanted to thank him some how, to let him know how much I appreciated his concern for me, but I couldn't find the words. So I opened my door and hugged him. As I looked at him now, skipping rocks in the bay, I knew he still cared for me, probably more than the others did. "Beast Boy," I said. "Yeah Raven?" "Thanks," I said, as I gave him a quick hug. He smiled and said, "No big." _No Beast Boy,_ I thought, _it _is_ a big deal. At least it is to me.

****

Raven was still in her dream world when she felt a tugging sensation in her hand. She opened her eyes, and saw she was still holding the changeling's communicator. She sat up and stared at it. It felt like it was urging her towards her window. She got up and followed the device's lead. As she neared the window, the communicator pulled harder. "What's going on?" she asked. "What does this mean?"

She felt a cool presence appear behind her. She turned around to see herself, but not herself. The apparition looked exactly like her, but she was wearing glasses, and sported a yellow cloak instead of Raven's usual blue. "Knowledge?" Raven cautiously asked. The apparition nodded. "But, how are you here?" Knowledge adjusted her glasses, then said, "Your emotions."

"What?" the empath asked. "Since your fight with Cinderblock, you haven't tried to control your emotions," the golden clad girl explained. "Because you powers are fueled by your emotions, we have been able to use them ourselves. I tapped into your powers in order to project myself outside your subconscious." Raven was still confused, but she decided to accept what her hallucination said. "But why?" she asked. "Because of you," Knowledge told her.

"With no one to keep order, your emotions are wreaking havoc on the outside world, and are tearing the fragile barrier between you, and insanity." Raven remembered what she did at the quarry. "But I can't control them, not without him," she said. Knowledge nodded. "I know," she said, "but you do not have to." Raven looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

Knowledge explained. "Ever since you were a child, you tried to suppress your emotions. However, it has always been a struggle, hasn't it?" Raven nodded. "You had to meditate frequently, isolate yourself, avoid anything that might trigger an emotional response." Again, Raven nodded. "But, emotions are vital for a human. Without them, the human mind will drive itself crazy, and will eventually rip itself apart."

"But I'm a demon!" Raven countered. "Part demon," Knowledge corrected. "Half of you is human, your dominant half." "But I'm not insane," Raven argued. "No," Knowledge said, rolling her eyes. "It's completely normal to have mental manifestations of your emotions run around in your mind, each with its own personality." "It helps me keep control-" "You're not supposed to control your emotions!" Knowledge countered.

"Humans are very emotional beings. Their emotions are powerful, and cannot be controlled," Knowledge told her. "Then what can I do?" she asked. Knowledge said, "You are not the master of your emotions, Raven. You are merely their guide. You must not suppress them, but find an appropriate channel for them. If you do, you will regain control of your powers, and you will be able to experience the full range of emotions without destroying the things around you." Raven understood. "I will try," she said. "But I have one more question." Knowledge nodded once.

"Why is Beast Boy's communicator pulling me?" "It is not pulling you, but leading you."

"Leading me where?"

"To its owner." Raven's eyes grew wider, and hope poured into her. "You mean…" she started. Knowledge smiled, and said "Yes, he is alive." "How do you know?" the empath asked. "I couldn't sense him before."

"He is out of your range," Knowledge said. "You can't sense anyone beyond a certain range." "So, how am I doing this?" Raven asked, holding out the communicator. "By channeling a certain emotion, you have awakened the changeling's essence that resided within the communicator," Knowledge said.

"Everything we touch, we imbue it with a part of our essence. Some things have more of our essence than others. By awakening it, the essence becomes drawn to its owner, and the need gets stronger the closer it gets to them." Raven held the communicator close. "So I just triggered BB's homing beacon?" "You could say that, yes." Raven frowned and bit her lip. "Which emotion did I channel?" Knowledge smiled, then said, "Which one do you think?" Then, she vanished, returning to Raven's mind. Raven looked at the communicator, and a sense of purpose filled her heart. She flew out the window, letting BB lead the way. _I'm coming for you Beast Boy,' she thought. 'Just hold on a bit longer._

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	5. Part 4

Robin and Cyborg couldn't believe their eyes. As they got out of the T-Car, they took in the devastation around them. "Look at this place," Cyborg said, "it looks like someone carpet bombed the place!" Robin had to admit that the bionic Titan was right. Everything within a mile radius from the quarry was reduced to rubble. The skeletons of buildings stood around the quarry, as if they were the undead guards of the gate of Hell. Rebars were strewn throughout the blast zone.

_Looks like we've got our work cut out for us,_ the Rogue Knight thought. Starfire drifted down and landed by her boyfriend's side. "I fear the worst has happened to Raven," she said. "I fear that her anger has gotten the best of her." Robin took the Tamaranian's hand. "Don't worry Star," he told her. "Raven's strong, she'll be alright." The Tamaranian didn't seem reassured, but said, "I hope you are right."

Robin called Star and Cyborg together. "We need to sift through the debris-" "For what?" Cyborg cut in. "Who knows what's buried under all of this!" he said, spreading his arms to indicate the carnage Raven's powers had wrought. Robin glared at the Titan. "We're looking for anything that might point to whoever pissed Raven off so much she decided to nuke a good chunk of Downtown!" he shouted. "Since our sensors won't work, we'll have to search the old fashioned way…" Cyborg groaned. "Please, Robin. Don't say it!" Robin cast him an evil grin. "We'll have to do it by hand." "NOOOOO!!!"

***

Beast Boy woke up and found himself in a dark room. _Where am I?_ he wondered. He tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't. He felt thick, chafing straps wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Another one secured his chest and head. He tried to transform into a fly so he could escape. But he was shocked, and couldn't concentrate long enough to change.

"Hey! What gives!" he shouted at no one in particular. "Now, Beast Boy," a sinister voice said, "We can't have you transforming, can we?" "Who are you?" the changeling demanded. "You don't remember me?" the voice said. "I'm ashamed of you. I always had such high hopes for you Titans." Beast Boy's eyes grew wide. "Slade," he sneered. "So," Slade said. He walked over to the changeling and bent over so Beast Boy could see his black and bronze mask. "There's hope for you Titans yet."

He turned his back to his captive. "At least, there's hope for the other Titans, anyway." "What do you want, Slade?!" asked the changeling. Slade turned and stared at the green-skinned Titan. He was pleased to see the child cringe under his one-eyed glare. "What I want, dear Beast Boy, is irrelevant," he said. "And why is that?" Slade patted the Titan's head, much like one would a child. "Because, my child," he said, "you won't survive long enough to see it."

Beast Boy struggled to break free, but he couldn't. Slade pulled out a hypospray, and pressed it to Beast Boy's exposed neck. "Goodbye, Beast Boy," he said, pushing the button. The hypospray hissed, and flooded the changeling's bloodstream with a powerful tranquilizer. Beast Boy began to feel tired, and he slipped into a coma. The last thing he heard was, "Pleasant dreams." Then, darkness consumed him.

***

Raven flew through the city, letting Beast Boy's own communicator guide her. It wasn't easy, she had gone off course three times already. But she was determined to find him, and pressed on anyway. As she turned the corner onto the highway that led to the outskirts of town, the communicator pulled hard. _Whoa!_ she thought. _It really wants to go that way. Beast Boy must be down there!_

She poured on the speed and followed the highway until she had left the city limits. About a mile out, she felt another hard tug, this time, from her right. She looked around, and saw a small hill in the direction the communicator pulled. _Okay,_ she thought, _if you say so._ She flew down and landed at the foot of the hill. The communicator tugged at her from the left, leading her around the base of the hill. On the other side, it tugged upward. Raven followed it until she found what she thought the communicator was trying to tell her.

_You think he's in there?_ she asked it. She brushed away the sand covering the door, looking for a handle. But she found something else. It was a bronze circle, outlined in black. A thin, black _S_ was written inside the circle. "Slade," Raven hissed. She could feel the Rage welling up within her, desperately wanting to be unleashed. Her first instinct was to clamp down on it, but she thought about what Knowledge had told her. _Patience,_ she commanded Rage. _Now is not the time, but soon. Be ready. _Raven could feel Rage quieting down, not leaving, but quieting. Apparently it was content to wait for Raven's command. _So this is what she meant by channeling my emotions,_ she thought. She opened the door, then she let Beast Boy's communicator lead her to her friend.

***

Starfire began sifting through the rubble closest to the quarry's former entrance. _I hope nothing has befallen friends Raven and Beast Boy,_ the Tamaranian thought. She began to pick through the pieces of rock, metal, and other things, praying she wouldn't find a scrap of blue, or violet cloth. Then, she felt something cold and smooth. She pulled it out to look at it. What she saw horrified her.

"Robin!" she shouted. "I believe I have found the 'smoking gun' of which you speak!" Robin raced to the Tamaranian's side. What he saw was the faceplate of a drone. "Slade," he hissed. "Congratulations, Robin," a voice called out from the shadows. "Although I must say, I'm rather disappointed."

"Slade! Show yourself!" Robin shouted. "Shouting won't get you what you want, Robin," he said. "What did you do with Beast Boy and Raven?" asked Robin. "Robin, you disappoint me," Slade mocked. "For a year, you knew I was at large, and yet, you did nothing." Robin saw a blur of motion to his right, and a second later, Slade's fist connected with his jaw, knocking him to the ground. Cyborg and Starfire fired at the archvillian, but Slade dodged their fire. He grabbed the Tamaranian and hurled her towards Cyborg. The force of the impact knocked them out of the quarry, and out cold.

"Now, Robin," he said, "I have you all to myself." Robin got to his feet. He pulled out and extended his quarterstaff. Slade did the same. "What do you want?" Robin asked. "It's not going to be that easy, Robin," he said. "Fine, I'll just beat it out of you!" Robin lunged at him, bringing his staff crashing down on Slade's head. "Impressive, Robin," he said as he got to his feet. "But not good enough."

Slade swung his staff at Robin's mid-section. Robin brought his staff down to parry, but Slade suddenly reversed and rammed his head into Robin's chest. The Boy Wonder collapsed, gasping for air. Before he could recover, Slade landed a series of punishing undercuts to Robin's abdomen. Robin keeled over, and felt like he was going to vomit.

"Don't tell me that's the best you've got, Robin." Robin, still clutching his stomach, slowly rose to face his arch nemesis. As discreetly as he could, he pulled three electro-disks from his utility belt. "You haven't seen anything yet!" he said, throwing the disks at Slade. He averted his eyes just as they detonated on Slade's armored chest. "AARRGH!" cried the villain. He covered his eye, blinded from the flash of Robin's disks.

While his foe was blinded, Robin thrust his staff and drove it hard into Slade's stomach. Slade fell backwards, but leapt forward, countering any advance Robin could have made. He swung vertically at the Titan, but his staff was parried. Robin grabbed the end of Slade's staff and used his own staff as a fulcrum. He pulled down hard on Slade's staff, snapping it in half. He followed through with a roundhouse kick to the face. Slade landed on his back, Robin clutching his collar.

Robin pulled off his foe's mask, shouting, "WHERE'S-" He stopped when he saw Slade on a mini LCD view screen. "Another time Robin," he said. Then, red numbers began counting down from 10. Robin leapt out of the blast radius. He went to check on Cyborg and Starfire. "Ugh, what happened?" asked Cyborg. "Did Slade get away?" Starfire asked. "No," said Robin. "He wasn't ever here."

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	6. Part 5

Raven followed Beast Boy's communicator into the depths of the lair. She relied on her powers to navigate through the dimly lit and twisting corridors. _If Slade hurt BB in any way, I'll kill him!_ she thought. She could feel Rage boiling deep within her, burning for revenge. _Raze this place to the ground!_ the red-cloaked emotion urged. _Let me completely annihilate this base! You know Slade deserves it!_

In the past, the empath had suppressed these urges, but now she realized that the tighter her grip on her emotions became, the harder it was to keep them restrained. So, she tried what her golden-clad emotion had advised her to do. She took a deep breath, and then she pictured her darker self. _You're right,_ Raven told her, _Slade does deserve it._

_Then you will let me crush him?_ Rage asked. Raven shook her head. _No,_ she said. _Why will you prohibit me from exacting our revenge?_ the four-eyed one demanded. _Because now is not the time,_ Raven explained. _We first must rescue Beast Boy. Then, once he is safe, I will allow you to do whatever you wish to Slade._

The emotion paused, studying Raven. _Anything?_ Rage asked. Raven nodded. _But I won't permit you to harm innocents_, the azure-cloaked empath warned. _You must confine your wrath solely to Slade and his minions._

_Fair enough,_ Rage agreed. _I'll be waiting. _Raven felt Rage cool down, but she knew the demon was only simmering just below the surface. She looked around. Nothing exploded. _I guess Knowledge was right after all,_ she thought. The communicator led her deeper into the bunker. As she rounded a corner, she felt a squadron of five drones approaching. Quickly, she used her powers and opened a rift on the wall. She stepped in just as the drones came within visual range.

Raven held her breath. _Did they detect me?_ she feared. But, much to her relief, the drones kept marching, not even pausing at her last location in the real world. Raven let out a sigh of relief, then stepped out of her dark rift and closed it. She continued her search, and with every step she took, the tugging sensation in her hand grew stronger.

***

"ARRGH!" Robin cried, slamming his fists in frustration. "I can't believe it!" he ranted. "Slade set the whole Cinderblock alert up as a trap for us, and I walked right into it!" "Please, Robin," Starfire said. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Please stop shouting at Robin." "Yeah man," Cyborg added. "We walked into the same trap you did." "Because I made the call!" the lead Titan shot back. "Because I fell for Slade's trap, we got burned. Because of my mistake, half of downtown looks like a war zone!" Robin collapsed on the couch and buried his head in the palms of his hands. "Because of my call, I-" He choked on his next words. He lifted his face. The other Titans could see tears streaming down from underneath his mask.

Finally, Robin found his voice again. "I got Beast Boy and Raven captured, maybe even killed!" Robin began crying into his palms again. Cyborg finished installing the central windowpane to the Ops room. "Well, at least now we can use the Tower's main projector again." He stood next to Starfire.

"I know he's always beaten himself up over his mistakes before," he said, "but I've never seen him like this." The Tamaranian agreed, and sat next to her weeping friend. She draped her arm around him, and pulled him close. Robin pulled away, and Starfire let him go. She sighed. "Robin," she said. She tried to comfort him, but the masked Titan brushed her off. He stood up and began walking out the door.

"Robin!" the Tamaranian shouted. "Where are you going?" though she had a sinking feeling that she knew where he was headed. Robin didn't look back. "To do what I have to," he said. Cyborg grabbed Robin's shoulder and spun him around. "Oh, no you don't!" he said. "I know that look, and you are not going off to get killed by Slade!"

"If I don't face him alone now, you could get hurt!" Robin shouted back. "I've already lost Raven and BB! I'm not going to lose you or lose Starfire!" "Robin, there wasn't anything you could do to prevent Slade from capturing OUR friends!" Tamaranian said, emphasizing the fact that Robin wasn't the only one who had lost a friend. "Yeah," the bionic youth agreed. "BB and Rae were our friends too."

"That doesn't matter," Robin said. "Slade must be stopped." His voice hardened, it took on an edge so harsh, it felt like it could cleave through solid titanium. "And I'm the one who has to stop him." "But we don't even know where he's hiding them!" Cyborg protested. "I can't get a lock on either BB's or Raven's communicator, and we have no clue as to where Slade's new lair is!" Robin wrenched himself free from Cyborg's grasp and headed out the door. "I'll find him," he said. "And then I'll make him pay."

**

Robin borrowed BB's moped, since the R-Cycle was little more that a pile of scrap metal. _If I were Slade, and I'm glad I'm not,_ Robin thought as he sped along the streets of Jump City, _where would I hide?_ As much as the Boy Wonder denied it, he knew that Slade was right. They had _a lot_ in common.

****

_In a dream, I was fighting Slade, surrounded by four pillars. Then, Slade began to taunt me. "Excellent Robin," he said. "We appear to be evenly matched, and equally ruthless." I looked around for him, straining to see through the dust cloud kicked up by our fight. Then, he said it. "Not surprising, you and I are so very much alike."_

_Rage boiled up within me. "I'm nothing like you!" I shouted. I turned around and threw a left uppercut to his jaw. My fist connected with his jaw, and knocked him to the ground. I grabbed him by the collar._

_"You're a criminal, a psychopath!" I shouted. "All you care about is destruction!" Then, Slade looked me in the eye and said, "And everything you care about, you destroy." He gestured to the four ruined pillars that I had knocked down during the fight. I looked at them, and saw that they were my friends. "No!" I cried. Turning back to Slade, I demanded, "Who are you?" I ripped his mask off. To my horror, I found that I was staring at my own face! I saw myself laugh maniacally, but it was Slade's voice I heard._

****

_Even my friends knew how similar we are, _he thought. Robin focused on locating Slade's new lair, dispelling his fears. He began running down the list of Slade's previous lairs. _His first was a clock tower_, he thought. _Then, he used a subterranean one. _ He began to compare and contrast the two, looking for any link between them that he could use to predict where the third one would be.

_Both times, he used locations that were hidden in plain sight. They were both dimly lit, but that could be anywhere! _ Then Robin remembered back when he was Slade's apprentice. _I remember that the clock mechanisms weren't covered up at all,_ he thought. _When I fought him, he would always use the gears as cover, and vanish within the plumes of steam from the pneumatic rams._

He tried to recall what the interior of Slade's second lair was like. _It was underground, with cave formations, uneven flooring, and was close to a magma pocket, so steam was occasionally released._ Robin hit his head. _That's it!_ he thought. _Slade's lairs always provide natural cover for him, cover he can use to his advantage!_

Robin ran through the list of possible sites in his head, eliminating those that didn't provide natural cover. He narrowed it down to three probable locations: the abandoned manufacturing plant, the harbor loading docks, or the cave formations on the outskirts of the city. _The docks would be too public,_ thought Robin. _I could see him using either the plant, or the cave system._ Robin knew he didn't have time to search both of them. _So, which one would I choose? _Robin knew, and sped off towards Slade's base.

***

"We must go after him!" Cyborg sighed. "No Star, we can't." "What do you mean we can't?" the Tamaranian demanded. "It is too risky for Robin to fight Slade alone! We must assist!" "You don't think I know that?" Cyborg yelled, driving his fist through the wall. The Tamaranian gasped. "But in case you haven't noticed, Star, Robin's turned off his communicator!" he said. "And, he took BB's moped, which doesn't have any upgrades yet because I haven't been able to install them! So there's no way we'll be able to find him!"

Starfire stared at the floor. "But, Robin," she said. Cyborg sighed, then waited until he was calm. "Look, Star," he said, "the best thing we can do to help Robin is find Raven and Beast Boy. If we find them, then we find Slade." The Tamaranian looked at Cyborg. "But how are we to find them?" she asked. "You said that you could not get the lock on their communicators."

"I know," Cyborg said. "But, I built them with my circuits, which have a unique metallic composition." He went to the Tower's main computer. "If I enter the specs for my circuits into the Tower's computer, I can have it scan the city for anything matching my specs. That should tell us where their communicators are."

"I hope you are right, friend Cyborg," said Star, "for their sake as well as ours." Cyborg input the data and activated the scan. An aerial map of the city appeared on the window. The computer projected three dots on the map. "Well, the huge one over here is the Tower," he said, pointing to the large blip in the bay. "I'll bet the blip that's moving in Robin, so that means…" Starfire pointed at the third one, located at the outskirts of town. "That means they are there!"

***

Raven came to a dead end. She looked at the communicator, puzzled by it. _It wants me to go straight ahead,_ she thought. _But, there's no where to go._ A voice in her head said, _perhaps the door is hidden. _ Raven slapped herself on her forehead. _Duh!_ she thought. The empath cleared her mind, then focused on the wall in front of her. She could feel it, and what was hidden within.

_There is a door here,_ she thought. She felt the mechanism that opened the door. It was a camouflaged keypad. Focusing on the keypad, she used her powers to figure out the code. She felt a presence from the past approach the door. In her mind's eye, she saw the figure's hand dance across the keypad. She memorized the code, then returned her mind to the present.

She typed in the code, and the door opened. The communicator almost jumped out of her hands. Raven thought it was almost saying, _He's here! He's here! _ She walked into the vast open room. _I must be in the control center,_ she thought. She saw numerous cave formations and rock pillars. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him.

_Beast Boy! _ She raced to his side, putting his communicator in her cloak. He was strapped to a medical table, and tubes were sticking out of his body. "Oh, Beast Boy!" she said. "What has he done to you?" She knelt beside him, and used her powers to unhook the changeling from the medical equipment. She tried to wake him. "Psst! Beast Boy!" she whispered, gently shaking her fellow Titan. "It's me, Raven."

The changeling stirred. He slowly opened his eyes. "Raven?" he asked weakly. Raven leaned in so BB could see her more clearly. She met his eyes, and felt a wave of emotion wash over her. It was unfamiliar to her. She didn't know what it was, but it made her feel nervous and happy at the same time. She remembered what Knowledge had told her, and allowed the new emotion to take its course.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. "I thought you were dead!" she said. "I missed you so much!" The changeling returned her embrace. "I missed you too," he said, still feeling woozy. The two Titans gazed at each other. Their faces were barely centimeters apart.

"Raven," Beast Boy said. "There's something I want to tell you-" Raven cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. Then, she went for it. When their lips met, the changeling tensed, then he melted into the kiss. He felt her arms snake up around his neck. He pulled her closer to him, praying that this wasn't a hallucination. Wave after wave of emotion rolled over the empath. She let it wash over her, not attempting to control it in the least.

Then, she felt BB's arms begin to slacken, and the changeling went limp in her arms. She opened her eyes and broke the kiss, fearing that she might have accidentally killed him. But, she could still feel his heart beat against her chest. She smiled, then heard a sinister voice behind her.

"How touching," it said. "I'm sorry to intrude on your, dalliance, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, my dear." Raven spun towards the sound. "What have you done to him, Slade?" Slade stepped out of the shadows. "I haven't done anything to your, _boyfriend_, my dear," he said, "at least, not anything permanent."

Raven gently lowered Beast Boy to the ground, and hid him under a rocky outcropping. "Be safe," she said, and gave him a quick kiss, then went out to face the man responsible for experimenting on her friend. Rage boiled within her. _Is it time?_ she asked. Raven nodded, her eyes glowing red. _Yes,_ she told the demon inside her. _It is time._

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	7. Part 6

Slade watched as the half demonic Teen Titan approached his captive. He planned on stopping her and taking her captive as well, but for now, Slade was interested in seeing what the violet haired Titan would do. Staying in the shadows, he saw her free the changeling from his restraints. Then, he saw her do something curious. Instead of getting her teammate to safety as quickly as possible, she knelt beside him and embraced him.

_Curious,_ the criminal mastermind thought. _What is she doing?_ Then, he understood. His hunch was confirmed a second later, when the empath leaned in and kissed the changeling. _So_, he thought, _Raven has a thing for the changeling, does she? Interesting._ Slade made a mental note to file this in his mind until he could find a way to exploit Raven's new weakness.

Slade let them have their kiss uninterrupted. _A pity,_ he mused, _that poor Beast Boy won't remember a thing._ One of the chemicals in the sedative he'd injected into the changeling was an amnesia-causing agent. It interfered with the part of the brain that takes information from the short-term memory and files it away in the long-term memory. The effect wore off in an hour, but the changeling still had about ten minutes to go.

_And the best part is that Raven will remember this,_ the mastermind realized, another chink in the emptath's emotional armor for him to chip away at. When the two Titans had broken their kiss, Slade announced his presence. "How touching," he said. "I'm sorry to intrude on you, dalliance, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, my dear." The empath spun, cradling the unconscious changeling. "What have you done with him?" she demanded.

_She's unusually emotional,_ Slade thought, _perhaps even unstable. Perfect. _ "I haven't done anything to your, _boyfriend_, my dear," Slade said as he stepped out of the shadows. Then, he decided to stick the knife in and twist it a bit. "At least not anything permanent." He watched as the empath placed the changeling underneath a rocky outcropping. With the sonic enhancers in his mask, he could hear her say, "Be safe." She turned her back on her fellow Titan, and faced him. Slade could see her eyes burn a hellish red. _So,_ he thought, _she does care about him. Enough to put herself in danger to protect him. That, my dear Raven, will be your downfall._

**

_Is it time?_ Rage asked. Raven nodded, her eyes glowing red. _Yes,_ she told the demon inside her. _It is time. _ "Slade!" she yelled. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to Beast Boy!" The masked villain spread his hands, as if he were innocent. "As I have already told you, my dear Raven," he said, "I haven't done anything to Beast Boy."

"LIAR!" Raven could not hold herself back any longer. She focused her energy on Beast Boy's tormentor. She brought her hands together and extended them towards the Titans' arch foe. "AZARATH, METRION…" she cried. A sphere of dark energy formed from her hands. It grew more and more powerful. After three seconds of charging, the sphere had grown to the size of her torso. Slade charged, attempting to land a hit before she fired. "…ZINTHOS!"

A bolt of dark energy shot out from the sphere, and drilled into Slade. The villain flew across the room and slammed into the far wall. He got up in time to see the medical table Beast Boy was strapped to come flying at his head. He tried to duck, but it was to late. The force of the impact knocked his mask off. He put his hands over his face, and quickly put it back on.

"Impressive, Raven," he said. "I'll show you impressive!" A talon of dark energy picked him up, and slammed him into the ceiling. Then, it dragged him down and he crashed to the floor. He started to get up. The talon squeezed harder, its long, curved blades actually piercing his armor, and sinking into his abdomen. "I'm not finished with you, yet!"

Despite intense agony, Slade called upon his indomitable iron will, one only rivaled by the will of Robin, and the one who trained him. He held his head up, and looked at the demon's face. Staring back at him were four glowing red eyes. "My, my Raven," he said calmly, as if he wasn't affected in the least by the talon squeezing the life out of him. "I always knew you had an uncontrollable temper. Your father was right, you'll always be daddy's little girl."

The demon screamed. "NO!! I'M NOTHING LIKE MY FATHER!!" The talon drew him closer to her, and tightened its grip. Slade held a shard of broken glass up to her face. "See for yourself!" he said. Raven looked at the shard and saw her reflection. _NO!_ she cried in horror. _Don't hold back now! _Rage shouted. _He deserves no mercy! _ Raven froze. She remembered the last time she had heard Rage say that.

****

_I had just defeated Overload when Slade's newest apprentice, Terra, jumped me. I faced her, fury burning through my veins. "Terra!" I spat. "Raven." "TRAITOR!" "WITCH!" Then, the fight started. We each flew up into the air, but I knocked her into the muddy water that was pooling at the floor. The ensuing melee went back and forth, each of us hurling stronger and stronger attacks at each other. Then, I was hit from behind, and I fell into the mud._

_I saw the traitor get up. "You know Raven," she taunted, "I never liked you." "I never even wanted to know you!" I said. "You may have fooled the others, but I always knew you were a liar!" The backstabber began to brush the mud off of her. "Oh really," she mocked, "is that why you let me live in your house, and steal all your secrets and-" "SHUT UP!" I shouted._

_I couldn't take any more of her barbs, because, deep down, I knew she was right. I fired a wave of slurry at her, but she parted it, leaving her completely unscathed. She continued cleaning her suit, and fired three streams of the gunk at me. I formed a shield, but the she bent the slurry around it and knocked me down. She formed one of her signature rock platforms an floated over to me._

_"You're not getting mad, are you Rae?" she mocked. "Oh, better be careful, Beast Boy told me all about your temper tantrums." "Anger is pointless. My emotions are under control," I lied. I could feel the rage burning to take vengeance on that traitor. "Meh, meh, meh," she mocked. "Anger is pointless. And you're calling me a liar?" I charged her, but an earthen hand caught and tripped me. She began to walk towards me to push the knife in even further and twist._

_"Come on Raven, what stings the most?" she taunted. "That I tricked you? That I nearly wiped out your team? That everyone liked me better than you?" "Stop it!" "Or was it that deep down, you really believed I was your friend?" _ENOUGH!_ I thought. Rage bombarded me with pleas to let her out._

Let me fight!_ she said. _She deserves no mercy! You're right,_ I told her, _she doesn't._ I released Rage, and she took over. I grew four eyes, each of them glowing red. With Rage guiding me, I broke free of Terra's grip, and began hurling anything I could find at her._

_"I trusted you! We trusted you! We gave you everything and you treated us like dirt!" I shouted. Her back against the wall, Terra summoned two earthen arms, and commanded them to grab me by the shoulders. I struggled to break free, but they kept dragging me down. When only my head was above the surface of the sludge, Terra mocked me yet again, saying "Who's in control now?" I growled at her, but just as her earthen arms pulled me under, I regained control of my body form Rage, my eyes reverting to normal. Then, I saw only darkness._

****

_NO!_ Raven shouted at the demon. _Why not?_ the blood red cloaked emotion demanded. The _last time you took control, you almost got us killed!_ she said. _I'll drive, you will channel your power through me, got it? _ Reluctantly, Rage nodded, and her head began to clear itself of the red haze clouding her vision. Her eyes returned to their normal amethyst hues. Raven released Slade from her talon's grip. The villain collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

"That," he said, getting to his feet, "was a mistake." He charged, extending his quarterstaff. The empath raised her hand, and threw him into a stone pillar as hard as she could. She walked towards him, throwing him into the walls, the ceiling, the floor, into anything and everything. When she got up to where he finally landed, she telepathically pinned him to the ground.

"I wasn't the one who made a mistake, Slade," she told him. She crashed his head against the floor, and then held it up again. "You made the mistake when you told me about my temper. It allowed my to regain control." "So it seems," he conceded, "but, I wouldn't count me out just yet." He eyed the floor between Raven's feet. She followed his gaze and found a flashing detonator. BEEEEP BOOM Raven was thrown backwards.

Slade was released from her grasp and ran deeper into the dark reaches of the cave. He hit a button on his remote. "We'll meet again, my dear," he said. Then, he vanished. Raven heard the klaxon and saw the countdown on the screen. She had thirty seconds to get Beast Boy out of the lair before the entire cave blew itself apart. She ran to her friend and picked him up. _Still out cold,_ she noted. She sat down and put him on her lap. She wrapped on arm around him and used the other to drape her cloak around both of them. She focused on a point on the surface. "Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"

***

Robin saw headlights behind him, and knew the T-Car had caught up to him. _So,_ he thought, _Cy found him after all. _ He glanced up and saw Starfire soaring above him. Just as he passed the "NOW LEAVING JUMP CITY" sign, he saw a flash of light, followed by a fireball that erupted from where Slade's lair was supposed to be. Robin braced himself for the shockwave, which threw him from the moped. He landed on the other side of the road, and the moped crashed into a nearby boulder, utterly totaling it. _BB's going to kill me,_ he thought. Then, he sobered, _assuming he's alive._

He got up and started running towards the crater. "BEAST BOY! RAVEN!" he shouted. He was about to jump in when a strong hand gripped his shoulder. "It's too late," Cyborg said, "they're gone." The hand turned Robin around and drew him into a hug. "I can't believe they're-" "I know," the Tamaranian said. "I too, cannot believe that this tragedy has befallen us."

Cyborg scanned for any remains of their fallen friends. He found no trace. He sighed, and began walking to the T-Car. "Come on, ya'll," he said. "Let's go home." Robin let Starfire lead him to the car. He could barely function. All he could think about was how much he had failed two of his closest friends. Then, he heard a familiar sound.

TSEW The three Titans turned around and saw a rift open just in front of the sign. A second later, Raven emerged, and in her arms was Beast Boy. "Raven!" they all shouted. Starfire went to give the empath a spine-crushing hug, but she was stopped by a black force field. "Beast Boy needs to get to the Tower, NOW!" said Raven. Cyborg went over to put him in the car, but Raven blocked him too. "What the-" he said. Raven glared at him. "I'll take him, I'm faster." She enveloped herself and the changeling in her cloak. She opened a new rift and vanished. "What is her deal?" asked Cyborg. "I was only trying to help!"

Robin put a hand on his shoulder. "I think she feels guilty about what happened to him," the Boy Wonder said. "But why? She didn't do that to him! Slade did!" "True, but Beast Boy was Raven's partner. She probably felt like she had failed him…" Robin looked at his teammates. "…like I felt I had failed them." Cyborg started to say something, but held his tongue. "Let's go home."

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


	8. Part 7

When the three Titans arrived at the Tower, they bolted for the medical ward. Robin opened the door and found Beast Boy on a bio bed, still unconscious. By his side was Raven. Her hands were on his chest, glowing with a white aura. Cyborg and Starfire piled in with Robin, and watched. Cyborg deiced to make a move, and approached the bio bed.

A black force field rose from the floor between Cyborg and the changeling, blocking Cyborg's path. "Yo!" the bionic Titan shouted. "What's wrong with you?" Raven turned and glared, her eyes glowing white. "Easy, Raven," said Robin. He pulled Cyborg back, and walked up to the field. "Raven," he said. She gave him the same glare, but he wasn't intimidated.

Instead, he just asked, "How is he?" The glow left her eyes, and the field dropped. Robin walked up to the bed and put his hand on her shoulder. "He's stable," the empath said. "I've healed most of his injuries, but there's nothing I can do to counteract whatever Slade shot him full of." "Cyborg should be able to take a sample of BB's blood," Robin said. "He can run it through the Tower's mainframe and figure out what BB's on, and figure out how to counter it."

Raven nodded, but was reluctant to leave the changeling's side. Cyborg approached the bed. "He's in good hands, Raven," he told her. "I won't rest until BB's back to his annoying self." Raven just nodded, then walked out the door. "Man," Cyborg said. "She's really taking this hard." "Agreed," added Starfire. "I am worried for friend Raven. I fear that she will beat upon Raven." Robin winced. _I do that too much,_ he thought. "Whatever she's feeling," he said, "we should let her deal with it by herself." The other Titans agreed, and went about finding a cure for Beast Boy.

***

Raven left the Tower and walked to the bay. It was sunset, half of the bright golden orb had already sunk below the horizon. She sat down where she and Beast Boy had fought that morning. She pulled out his broken communicator. It was no longer tugging at her, because she already knew where he was. But, she could feel that part of his essence that still dwelled within it. "Beast Boy," she said. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

She felt a wave of sorrow sweep over her. At first, she tried to suppress it, because she didn't want to be vulnerable. But then she didn't care who saw, and let the tears flow freely from her eyes. "BB, if I could, I'd take back everything I said!" she cried. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She buried her head into her knees, and said, "What I would give to hear one of your lame jokes, or attempt to cheer me up with pranks, or movies, or…" she trailed off.

She sat there, watching the sun sink below the horizon, and watched the evening twilight fade away. Raven gazed up at the stars, but without him, it just wasn't the same. As the night dragged on, Raven began to feel tired, but she couldn't sleep. She just kept looking at the communicator, willing it to make BB well again. Then, she felt that familiar presence, stronger than the communicator's.

Quickly, she hid it in her cloak, picked up a rock with her powers and threw it. Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash! "Dude! Nice throw! That was what, six skips?" Raven nodded as the changeling sat down next to her. He picked up a rock and threw it too. Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!

"How are you?" she asked. "I'm fine," BB told her. "Cy said that aside from the sedative, he couldn't find anything wrong with me."

"What did he give you?" "Nothing." He picked up another rock. "I just sorta woke up on my own." He launched it, but with a little too much force. SPLOOSH! "Aw, man!" Raven levitated another one in the air. "Retry?" she asked. The changeling took it and threw it into the night. As discretely as possible, Raven gave his rock a little boost. Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!Splash!

BB pumped his arm in triumph. Raven gave him a small smirk. They sat there for a while, neither one speaking. Then, Beast Boy broke the silence. "Robin said you were the one who found me," he said. Raven nodded. Beast Boy kept prodding. "He said that you went out alone. He said you turned the quarry into a wasteland." Raven nodded.

One question kept nagging at BB, but instead, he asked, "How did you find me?" Raven blushed, and pulled out his communicator. "I used this." She handed it to him, and he looked at it, a little puzzled. "But, it's broken. How-" She cut him off. "It's complicated."

"Well, then dumb it down for me." Raven sighed. "Everything you touch, you leave a tiny part of your essence within it." "Like a scent?" "Yeah," Raven said. "I guess you could say that. Anyway, since you handled the communicator often, it had enough of your essence in it to allow me to activate it. Then, it tried to reunite itself with you, and I followed where it pulled me." Beast Boy looked amazed, partially because he didn't know Raven could do that, and partially because he actually understood what she said.

That question still tugged at him, but he tried to ignore it. "How did you do that?" Raven shrugged, and said, "I just did. Apparently if I have a powerful enough emotional attachment to whomever I'm tracking, then the essence activates." The significance of what she said dawned on him. He turned and faced her, and then he asked her the question he'd wanted to ask her from the beginning. "Why?"

***

The other Titans watched the two from the roof of the Tower. "They've been like that for hours," Cyborg said. "And not once has Raven tried to throw BB in the bay!" "That is most unusual for friend Raven, no?" asked Starfire. "Do they perhaps have the romantic feelings for each other?" Robin was resting his head on his arms, which were laid flat along the railing.

"I don't know, Star," he said. "Their relationship is…" He tried to find the right word. "…complicated." He finished. "On the surface, they do seem to hate each other's guts, and Raven seems like she's just waiting for an excuse to send BB to another dimension," the youth explained. "But I don't think that's how they really feel about each other."

"What do you mean?" Cy asked. "Well, I know Raven more than anyone else, and she doesn't like to broadcast how she feels, sometimes I can't even figure out her mood, even with our mind-link!" Robin stood up, and continued. "But I know that deep down, both of them care deeply about one another, and would do anything to protect each other, even from us." Starfire looked shocked. "But why would they do that?" she asked. "We're their friends!"

"Star, they know that. Like I said, it's complicated." "I see what you're saying," Cy said. "Remember after our first fight with Adonis?" Robin nodded. "When Adonis tried to attack Raven, BB protected her from anything he perceived as a threat. And in his werewolf form, he pretty much thinks everyone is a threat." "I have only seen Beast Boy use the werewolf one other time," the Tamaranian said. "When we were fighting Slade, trying to stop him from getting to Raven."

"But that still doesn't explain why Raven wouldn't let any of us near Beast Boy," Cy said. "Not true," said Star. "Raven let Robin near him." "I think she let me close because I actually stated my concern for him," Robin said. "She gave me the same glare she gave you, Cy." He turned back and watched the two Titans sitting by the bay. "Who knew that two completely different people could care that much about each other?"

***

"Why?" It was a simple question, but it had a complicated answer. "I-I…" Raven struggled to come up with an answer that explained all of her conflicting emotions, her utter dislike for him, and her undying…what? She couldn't even understand it herself.

"You, what?" the changeling asked. She saw him slide closer to her, almost to the point where they were touching. She turned away and put up her hood. "I don't know." "Yes you do," BB said. "You're just hiding your emotions again." He gently grabbed her shoulder. Raven tensed at his touch, but she allowed him to turn her so she was face to face with him.

"Come on Rae," he said, using her nickname, "please open up?" He reached for her hood, and gently lifted it off her head and laid it on her back. "Alright," she said, blushing. "I searched for you because I wanted to apologize." BB looked confused. "Apologize for what?" "For the way I treated you this morning," she said. _For the way I treated you since we met,_ she thought.

"Raven," he said, "if anyone should apologize, it should be me. I shouldn't have yelled at you." He turned his head and stared across the water's surface. "You were just trying to cheer me up, and I blow up on you." Raven placed her hand on his shoulder. "No, you were right," she told him. "You did need time to grieve, as long as you needed." She, too, stared across the bay.

"And you were right about me not understanding how you felt about her-" "Raven-" "No, Beast Boy! Let me finish. I had never lost anyone I cared about." Beast Boy turned to face her. "I never meant to say that," he said. "It doesn't matter anymore, Beast Boy. Now I do understand." BB looked at her curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

Raven looked into his emerald eyes. "I recently lost someone I cared for deeply." She grabbed his far hand, and slid her fingers between his. "And I found him." She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt the changeling's other arm pull her even closer. She leaned into him, and he into her, gazing out at the sea. And finally, Raven felt like she wasn't alone. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, with Beast Boy keeping watch for anything that might threaten her.

***

A mysterious figure watched from across the bay. As the clouds passed, the moonlight shone upon him. Slade had shadowed the Titans to see if his experiment had worked. And judging by the way the changeling and the empath were acting, he assumed that it had. "Ah, Beast Boy," said the criminal mastermind, "I'll bet the Titans had told you that I didn't do a thing to you." Then, he held up a small vial filled with a dark red liquid. "But, they could never detect what I took from you, could they?" As the moonlight shone upon the vial, a faint label appeared. 'TITAN DNA- SUBJECT: BEAST BOY' Slade quietly laughed, and vanished into the dark of the night.

* * *

Episode II: _Ultimate Titans Challenge_ see profile for link

* * *

Teen Titans Animated belongs to Glen Murakami, Sam Register, DC Comics, and Cartoon Network  
Teen Titans created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez


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